The New York Rangers rediscovered their offensive spark with their season on the line.
Chris Kreider led the way with a power-play goal and two assists as the Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Saturday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in their first-round series.
Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko each contributed a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who had struggled offensively in their previous three losses, managing just two goals combined. Barclay Goodrow and Braden Schneider also scored, while Adam Fox added two assists. Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves to help New York stay alive.
“We came in knowing we had to win one game,” Zibanejad said. “That’s what we focused on, and we got it. Now we just have to keep it going.”
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant shuffled his lines to spark the offense, moving Tarasenko to the top line with Kreider and Zibanejad, and the change paid off. The trio combined for three goals and four assists.
“The team played great as a whole,” Kreider said. “We executed the things we talked about, and it worked.”
Curtis Lazar and Dawson Mercer scored for New Jersey, while rookie goaltender Akira Schmid, who had been stellar in the previous three games, was pulled after allowing five goals on 29 shots.
“We did many good things tonight,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “But penalties hurt us.”
Game 7 is set for Monday night in New Jersey.
“We worked hard all year for home-ice advantage,” Ruff added. “We’re ready to give everything we’ve got.”
The Devils, trailing 3-1 early in the third, applied intense pressure with 14 consecutive shots, but the Rangers held firm. New York extended its lead to 4-1 when Goodrow scored his first goal since March 12, knocking a rebound past Schmid at 7:23 of the third. Schneider added his first career playoff goal minutes later, beating Schmid with a shot from Niko Mikkola’s pass.
“They fought hard tonight,” Gallant said. “When your back’s against the wall, you must deliver your best game, and we did.”
Mercer cut the lead to 5-2 during a power play with 5:12 remaining, but the Rangers shut down the Devils’ late push, aided by Shesterkin’s key saves, including stopping a tip by Nathan Bastian and a point-blank effort from Nico Hischier.
Earlier in the game, the Devils had several short-handed chances, but Shesterkin denied attempts from Mercer and Erik Haula to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Zibanejad gave the Rangers their first lead since Game 3 when he scored off a pass from Kreider with 9:50 left in the second period. Tarasenko added a third goal late in the period, firing a shot into the top corner off another Kreider assist.
The Rangers’ power play finally broke through after a slump, tying the game at 1-1 with Kreider’s sixth goal of the series, marking his fifth power-play goal — tying a franchise record set by Adam Graves in 1996.
Key Stats:
- Kreider tied Mark Messier’s NHL record with his 16th goal when facing elimination.
- The Rangers’ line shuffles were successful. Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko moved up to play with Artemi Panarin. At the same time, Vincent Trocheck and Patrick Kane shifted to the third line alongside Alexis Lafreniere.
Up Next:
- Game 7 will be held on Monday night in New Jersey.
